I posted this on the thread about the pros/cons of TI trampolines, but thought I'd start a new one:This is my first summer with my TI on Lake Huron, near Lexington, Michigan. I absolutely love it. The tramps are a "must have" as they provide the swim platform for my little kids and all their cousins. Paddling out to the "deep water" is a big attraction for them as they swim around (with PFDs).

But - they do catch the wind. My TI got flipped yesterday in a nasty wind and broke my mast and a few other parts. Jay, from Backyard Boats, is tallying up the damages ($$), but I expect it to be ugly. I'm hoping (and a bit of praying) that my homeowner's insurance will help.

My lesson: Never leave the boat on the beach with the tramps unfurled. It only takes a few minutes to roll them up and stow them properly. I think I'll also be pulling the mast out more frequently as well.

Here are some photos of the expensive carnage:View of the beach - take a look at my destroyed beach canopy!! The RH aka/ama assembly broke clean off and was found 300 yards down the beach!!. I think we were hit by a tiny tornado, actually. The sirens were blaring at the time.Broken mast!!!

Ouch! That really stinks! I thought you flipped on the water, this looks like it's really smashed. Sorry to see it. Good lesson for us all.

FYI, i just added my new TI and Trailer to my homeowners and Auto policies. TI insurance costs me about $10/year! Well worth it. I was told it would not be covered if I hadn't specifically told them about the boat and provided hull number, etc.

Ouch! That really stinks! I thought you flipped on the water, this looks like it's really smashed. Sorry to see it. Good lesson for us all.

FYI, i just added my new TI and Trailer to my homeowners and Auto policies. TI insurance costs me about $10/year! Well worth it. I was told it would not be covered if I hadn't specifically told them about the boat and provided hull number, etc.

Thanks for the tip = I hope my insurance agent is understanding on this first one.

Bad news - my homeowners won't help as I have a $5000 deductible. Second, it wouldn't cover a boat anyway. My agent did quote full coverage with a $50 deductible for $33/year. This is reasonable and will help me NEXT TIME!!!

I'm still waiting for the bad news from BackYardBoats on the prices of the replacement parts...

I learned that my TI wasn't flipped over by just the normal storm wind - it was a small tornado!!! We had suspected this based on the direction the parts were blown. I got confirmation recently from a friend who was watching the weather reports on TV and they specifically mentioned tornado activity in our little town on the shore of Lake Huron.

So - I'm not sure rolling up the trampolines would have done much good anyway.

Still no word from BackyardBoats on the cost of the replacement parts...

The outer edge of Irene just kissed the Canadian shore of Lake Huron 2 weekends ago. We are on the Michigan shore 30 miles to the west, but could clearly see an arch-shaped cloud that was this edge. It raised some large waves and strong winds about the same time it was hitting New York City. My mini-tornado happened a full week later from an unrelated storm that came from the opposite direction.

14 years ago I almost got nailed by a waterspout in an area where you had to look up that defined rare item on the East Coast of Vancouver Island. Yet the climates have gone really bad in the last 8 years. El Nino/El Nina, doesn't matter, it all bites. Yet sheit happens. With all the unstable air left over after Irene, I'm amazed that it didn't do more damage on the 'edges' in the Great lakes. Hoping your bill will be less than replacement, friend

Odd how Adventure Sailing takes on a new meaning when you suffer personal loss as a result of not your own misgivings, but simply letting nature take it's own course.

Easter weekend, 1980. I towed my 17' daysailer from Calgary, Alberta to Vancouver BC. No worries the weather report said nothing unusual. My parents' apartment was across from False creek on the West End side of Vancouver, I had strapped down the boat into it's trailer on the Kits side after a great day on English Bay, Vancouver, BC. That night 2 freighters ran aground. A CDN Coast Guard Cutter cut a 40' Tri in half as the seas were so rough they couldn't see the Tri coming in a swell as they hit it and sank it. Lucky as no lives were lost that night. Nobody knew the storm was coming, yet it just happened. The next morning I took the binos and looked across to where I had parked the boat. It and the trailer were flipped over sideways on the pavement. A few scratches to the gel coat. I was lucky. Others that night were not so lucky. We play, most times we don't need to pay... Sometimes it all turns ugly...sadly

All in all that's good news.Do you have the means to pick up the mast on your own.I ask as it is an item that is hard to handle unless you can find a truck doing the run anyway on a regular route. I suggest you start calling trucking companies, possibly self employed truckers who own their own flatbed or standard trailer.Good Luck friendTrinomite

All in all that's good news.Do you have the means to pick up the mast on your own.I ask as it is an item that is hard to handle unless you can find a truck doing the run anyway on a regular route. I suggest you start calling trucking companies, possibly self employed truckers who own their own flatbed or standard trailer.Good Luck friendTrinomite

Thanks for the advice. I'm in California in offroad motorcycle school for the next 5 days. I will tackle this problem when I get back to Michigan

I found a local dealer that can get me all the TI repair parts I need: Avon Boats in Rochester, MI. Luckily, they are on the way between my home and our cottage, so I'll just pick up the parts myselft. I can strap the mast on my luggage rack and the rest will fit easily into my vehicle. I hope to have the parts by next weekend. There will still be some sailing weather left on Lake Huron (Lexington, Michigan) this year.